Track By Track: Esther Joy on Psychic Tears

London-based Esther Joy released her debut EP on Friday. A darkly gothic journey to the outer reaches of electronic pop, Psychic Tears is a brilliant and unique introduction to the world of the young musician.

Below, you can stream the album and be guided through the EP through Esther Joy's track by track.

Intro/Wealth

"When I was writing this EP I wanted it to feel like a journey, just as much as a 10 track album could. I love intros, interludes and instrumentals in records, I think you can let your imagination runaway here and build themes that create such vivid and, potentially, visual experiences. So this track is kind of just that - an intro in the world I felt when I was writing this EP."

Franke

"'Franke' is probably the most hopeful/less dreary song on this EP. It’s basically about how we only have one shot at life and don’t end up at the end of it unable to look back because you just missed it all. A common experience in my life is when something bad happens, I block it out and now find I have chunks of my life missing because I can’t go there emotionally. As a result life can sometimes feels like sand slipping through my fingers. This song is like a mantra, reminding myself to take in the world around me and my experiences - to be mindful whenever I can so I can look back and feel the life I lived was my own.

'Breathe – Gotta Listen to, own your heart it beats.
The kinda rhythm that grows, groans into the deep.
I’ve never heard of a second sun, a second run for free
and knowing now that the setting sun wont wait no more for me.'”

Samgel

"This track is about the very dark and primal presence I have experienced since my early teens. Something so close to me that he (or sometimes she) has a name - ‘Samgel’. It’s a part of me that has both frightened and excited me - a place where there is anger and hatred but also a total lack of fear. I often battle between the different parts of myself and this is reflected in a lot in my writing.

'The darkness steals you, yes its eating me inside.'"

Wealth

"With ‘Wealth’, I really wanted to make a track that represented me more as a producer than a singer. I think that women in the industry are so often pushed into boxes but there is so much more to the creative process that isn’t acknowldged in the public eye. It’s great to see female producers, directors, engineers and writers like Grimes, Noga Erez, Charli XCX and Tokimonsta out there with creative control over their work and taking on so much of the process themselves.
I love dark dance music, I love music that can carry you somewhere without having to connect too much with a human voice – so for this track I kept the vocals indistinct and wandering. It feels primal and instinctive to me. I played around with weird sound design and wanted to make it feel like you were falling deep into a dream. It should feel like its communicating a story without language.

'Come back slowly cuz you know that you don’t want me
and it’s so hard
and it’s so hard.'"

Friendless Necessity

"I’ve described this song before as ‘a love letter to trauma’ - it’s a tussle between freedom and oppression, letting things go and holding on. It’s accepting difficult experiences and the complex relationship between what has hurt you but also what has informed who you are today.

'I’ve got something that’s all knowing,
ties me up against the wall
I wont be remembering
I wont be remembering till you’re gone.'"